June 18—ROCHESTER — As Minnesota falls in the national education rankings, Rochester Public Schools is attempting to turn the tide for students in its own part of the state.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual report, Minnesota ranks 19th out of fifty U.S. states in education. The state’s rankings have fallen from the 10th place it held in the organization’s 2019 report and the sixth place it held in 2014.
“Educational outcomes are not just affected by what happens in the classroom,” Alisha Porter, state director of the Minnesota Children’s Defense Fund, said in a statement. “That’s why it was so important that Minnesota implement universal school meals in 2023 and make historic new investments in housing, child care, health care, family economic stability and education. To do well in school, thrive in general, and experience the joy of growing up, our children need their basic needs met.”
In addition to education, the Annie E. Casey Foundation rankings measure overall child well-being, economic well-being, health, and family and community health.
There is some lag between the report’s findings and current work, as the rankings measure information from 2022, which is the most recent data available.
The report notes that several factors contributed to the state’s overall score. One is that 68% of the state’s fourth graders cannot read properly. The report also looks at the number of three- and four-year-olds attending college, the number of high school students graduating on time and the number of eighth-graders who are proficient in math.
Information independent of the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that Minnesota schools are struggling to prepare their students for the future. In 2023, from the state
education officials reported
that 49.9% of students meet or exceed their level. That same report indicated that each assessment area’s results remained about 10 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels.
Beyond simply diagnosing the problem, the foundation’s report included steps education leaders should take to advance their students’ learning: increasing access to tutoring, addressing students’ chronic absenteeism and investing in comprehensive schools.
Despite the drop in the rankings, the state has placed a heavy emphasis on education, including the passage of the Read Act of 2023, which aims to increase literacy through screening, support systems and monitoring. Since then, school districts have been working to implement the new legislation.
The Rochester School Board reviewed the district’s literacy efforts during a June 11 meeting. Board member Justin Cook, who has long advocated for increasing the district’s literacy rates, praised the work being done and described it as having the potential to advance the city’s students. .
“What we’re doing now is truly groundbreaking,” Cook said. “This is rocket science in education.”
